Battle of the Brains

From Now to the World Finals - Doug Heintzman shares his thoughts

battleofthebrains — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:10:28 +0000

Doug Heintzman, Director of Strategy for IBM Software Group and Sponsorship Executive of the ICPC took some time to talk with podcast host Amanda Carl about the evolution of the Battle of the Brains. Doug discusses how the competition has increased in size by 800 percent and now reaches 88 countries, including Argentina, Iran, and Cuba since IBM’s involvement. How intense is the competition? Well, Doug answers your questions regarding the types of problems and the rigorous nature of World Finals. He even shares some fun and unique stories from his past visits to World Finals’ events and offers advice for student competitors.

Want to brush up on your problem solving skills? Practice problems are available—so get started on your World Finals preparation!

A Global Roadmap for the Future of IT—Alan Ganek shares his insight with ACM ICPC participants

battleofthebrains — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:24:00 +0000

Leader in the field of Autonomic computing and award-winning technology expert, Alan Ganek, sat down with ICPC podcast host Amanda Carl to discuss his day-to-day responsibilities and IBM’s commitment to a Smarter Plane t. Chief technology officer and vice president for IBM Software Strategy and Technology, as well as IBM’s funding executive for the ACM ICPC, Alan provides valuable insight for Battle of the Brains participants as they prepare for regional competitions throughout the world.

An IBM Veteran, Ganek has more than 16 patents to his name and has been presented with a Technical Emmy Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and an Outstanding Innovation award from IBM on behalf of his work on Enterprise Systems Architecture/370 and System/390 Parallel Sysplex Design.

With Regionals already taking place in Asia and abroad, and the first U.S. regional to begin in October, Alan shares his advice on the best ways to prepare for the competition and a future career in technology.

2009 Regionals Heating Up

battleofthebrains — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 17:55:58 +0000

Ni Hao! Or for those of you still brushing up on your Chinese for the World Finals in Harbin, hello and welcome back! As we gear up for the first part of this year’s competition, the 2009 ACM-ICPC Regionals, remember to check the Battle of the Brains page to find updates, podcasts and stories from past participants. The ACM-ICPC and IBM are working diligently to give you the latest contest information, including regional dates, winners and links to other relevant sites.

This year you can also follow us on Twitter, where you will find an open forum of participating students from schools around the world. We expect to kick off the 2009-2010 podcast series in the middle of September by posting an interview with Alan Ganek, chief technology officer and vice president for IBM Software strategy and technology. Not only is Alan an outstanding scientist with 16 patents, he is the funding executive for the ACM-ICPC. We’re all very excited to hear Alan’s advice for Regionals preparation and beyond. For those looking for some practice questions, look no further than past brain busters archived on the ICPC web site:

· 2009 World Finals questions

· 2008 World Finals questions

· 2007 World Finals questions

Try out a few of these to get your brain warmed up for the upcoming competition. Good luck, or hao yun!

2006 ICPC World Champion reflects on World Finals and IBM Career

battleofthebrains — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:40:37 +0000

IBM special guest host, Chris Sciacca sat down with Ivan Romanov, 2006 ICPC Saratov University team member and former World Finals champion. Ivan, a current IBM employee at the IBM Zurich Lab, has been working on Mote Runner, a wireless system network designed specifically to address IBM’s Smarter Planet initiative.

Ivan discusses his preparation for the 2006 World Finals and shares valuable advice for the 2009-2010 competitors as preparation for the fall Regionals gradually creeps up.

Ivan was recently quoted in the Moscow Times discussing his experience.

A World of Praise for “Battle of the Brains” Students and Competition

battleofthebrains — Mon, 11 May 2009 18:26:04 +0000

IBM, KTH-Royal Institute of Technology, and the ICPC did a fantastic job of sharing the Battle of the Brains event with the world. Here are few clips from the worldwide media worth checking out:

Washington Post
Chicagoist
Computer Review of Russia
Voice of America Article
Voice of America Audio
SaigonNews
St. Louis Dispatch
Payvand Iran News
Science and Technology Daily of China
Russia’s NTV news network
President of Russia Congratulatory Message
IT World Canada
Polish Newswire
Science and Technology Daily

Have a story you’d like to share? Please feel free to post a link to the comments section! And, of course, we look forward to seeing everyone again in Harbin, China for the 2010 Battle of the Brains World Finals! In the meantime, see you at the Regionals!

2009 World Finals Results

battleofthebrains — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:40:26 +0000

The 2009 World Finals was a terrific showcase of talent, creativity and passion. So many bright young minds in one room demonstrating their amazing abilities is a terrific experience.

Here are the important links for those who don’t know them already:

Keep coming back, we’ll share links to how the international press reported on the event and shared the many stories of the contestants.

The Countdown to World Finals ’09; Dr. Bill Poucher Adds Perspective on the Competition

battleofthebrains — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 18:33:55 +0000

With seven days left until the World Finals, Dr. Bill Poucher takes a moment to speak with IBM host Amanda Carl. With more schools and students participating than ever, the stakes are high and the competition fierce. The Regionals saw 1,838 universities from 88 countries battle for a spot at World Finals. With only 100 teams headed to Stockholm, Dr. Poucher assures our listeners that the students have practiced in full force and are ready to tackle the world’s challenges and begin charging toward a Smarter Planet.

A Call to Action- IBM Awarding-winning CTO Alan Ganek sets the scene for the future of IT

battleofthebrains — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 21:29:35 +0000

Award-winning technology guru and leader in the field of Autonomic Computing, Alan Ganek, chief technology Officer and vice president for IBM Software strategy and technology, is our guest today.

Speaking with ICPC podcast host Amanda Carl, Ganek discusses his day-to-day responsibilities at IBM, as well as how he defines business leadership in the IT industry. He also shares valuable advice for the next generation of engineers, including tips on how to prepare for the needs of an ever-demanding global community.

An IBM Veteran, Ganek has more than 16 patents to his name and has been presented with a Technical Emmy Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and an Outstanding Innovation award from IBM on behalf of his work on Enterprise Systems Architecture/370 and System/390 Parallel Sysplex Design.

IBMer Adam Gashlin Reflects on 2007 World Finals Experience

battleofthebrains — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 16:08:13 +0000

IBM special guest host, Jim Angstadt, sat down with Adam Gashlin, 2007 ICPC Rutgers World Finals team member and current IBM employee. He carved out a few minutes from his busy schedule to talk about his experience at the 2007 World Finals, offer tips for this year’s class and share how he came to work for IBM from Extreme Blue intern to full-time employee.

Doug Heintzman: Students Taking on the World

battleofthebrains — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 19:01:52 +0000

Doug Heintzman, IBM’s director for business strategy and sponsorship executive for the ACM-ICPC, talked about a few of the most cared about topics by university students and their parents regarding the Battle of the Brains.

He focused on:

How business issues are closely related to students in computer science and mathematics
How the planet faces daunting infrastructure challenges and what the next generation of problem solvers need to know
What skills and capabilities will be employed in the future job market and how it will shape everyday society
How to find tremendous career opportunities from growing customer demand for impactful software services such as cloud computing and clever industry solutions
And, how to use the ACM-ICPC as a world-recognized qualification to prepare for the job market

Looking ahead to Sweden, Doug discussed an IBM traffic management project undertaken for Stockholm as an example of showing students how technology skills apply to societal issues.

Doug also pointed out that today’s generation of problem solvers are emerging from many more countries and not from just a select few. In the 2009 World Finals, he names new participation from countries such as Bangladesh, India, Great Britain, France, Spain, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand to complement World Finals regulars like Russia, China, United States, Canada and others.

ACM-ICPC Contest Discussed at LotuSphere 2009

battleofthebrains — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 20:33:12 +0000

As many of us know, Doug Heintzman, Director of Strategy, IBM Software Group, is also the ACM-ICPC Sponsorship Executive of IBM. He enjoys the competition and meeting so many gifted students.

A long time advocate of social software and business collaboration initiatives, Doug spoke about the trend of information technology and software service when he attended January’s LotuSphere 2009, the industry’s largest business and social software development event.

In an interview on-site, Doug discussed the global enthusiasm for the ACM-ICPC, meeting the talent of the future and what the ICPC means for them.

Check out what he said:

Part 1: [8:44 to end]
Part 2: [0:00 to 2:29]

You’ll hear more from Doug next week with our regular podcast interview. Don’t miss it!

President Obama calls on IBM

battleofthebrains — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 21:46:13 +0000

President Barack Obama met with IBM CEO Sam Palmisano and a dozen other CEOs at the White House last week to discuss the economic stimulus package for the United States.

If you want to know how the World Finals relates to the real world, watch or read Mr. Palmisano’s remarks. His thoughts could be speaking to you.

Before the official swearing for President Obama, Mr. Palmisano discussed with CNN IT infrastructure and smart solutions.

Look for the podcast interview with Doug Heintzman, Director of Strategy, IBM Software Group, next week.

Direction of Tech Industry and the Job Market

battleofthebrains — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 22:35:56 +0000

Smarter Planet philosophy. Green IT. Cloud Computing. Jobs. IBM’s Mark Guan covered a whole slew of topics with Katharine Frase, Vice President of Technical and Business Strategy, IBM Software Group. She discussed what new technologies leading conversations within IBM and offered insight into the kinds of questions students should prepare to answer when hitting the job interview circuit.

Looking ahead, our next podcast is slated for the first half of February when we will be talking with Doug Heintzman, Director of Strategy, IBM Software Group. If you have a question you’d like Doug to answer, post a comment.

As always, continue working hard as you prepare for the World Finals. Success comes with practice!

New Year Brings Great Promise for World Finals

battleofthebrains — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:45:32 +0000

Happy New Year! By you’re probably need deep in preparations for the World Finals. Following the ACM-ICPC web site, the roster of finalists is just about complete.

Hopefully, those of you who didn’t make the World Finals round will hit the Regionals again next year, if you’re eligible.

For those of you who made it, CONGRATULATIONS. It’s a tremendous accomplishment. Regionals round is meant to sift through and find the teams that work the best together combining skills, creativity and smarts.

We plan to have another podcast interview posted in the next couple weeks. So, stay tuned.

Looking ahead, IBM plans to, once again, reach out to schools of World Finalists to make sure each knows of your great achievement. Please help us spread the word.

Regionals Nearly Over; Schools Praise Students

battleofthebrains — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 21:51:17 +0000

The Regionals are wrapping up around the world this month. The promise of the World Finals will come to 100 teams. Come January when the finalists are revealed, we’ll ramp up the podcasts again.

In the meantime, we’ve seen an overwhelming positive response from all the participating colleges and universities praising their students. Here are links to a few, but if your school did the same, we encourage you the post a comment with a link to the article and share your stories!

From the contest floor to the job market

battleofthebrains — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 21:28:34 +0000

For many students participating in the Regionals, now is the time to build their resume, hit the interview trail and make in-roads toward post-college days or, in some cases, internship opportunities with future possibilities.

With this podcast, guest host Dana Procaccino sat down with IBM veteran Margaret Ashida, Director of Diversity and Workforce Programs, to discuss how the experience of this contest helps prepare students entering the job market as well as presenting the opportunities to showcase skills in front of future employers.

Good luck to those still looking ahead to the Regionals!

2008 Gold Medal Team Receives Laptops, Talk Regionals, PLUS bonus interview!

battleofthebrains — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 21:28:55 +0000

On Monday, October 6, IBMer and regular podcast host Mark Guan had the pleasure of hand delivering three IBM laptops to last year’s 2nd place World Finalists and Gold Medal Champions from M.I.T. — Andy Lutomirski, Bohua Zhan and Fernando Xuancheng Shao.

Due to some technical glitches, the audio of our interview was scrambled. But, we wanted to share their story so we transcribed the recording and pasted the text below. They discussed their plans for this year’s Regionals and beyond.

As a bonus for our regular visitors, we found the audio of an interview with the M.I.T. team following their tight wire finish at the World Finals. They spoke with Doug Heintzman, a regular in our podcast series. (see audio link at bottom of posting)

A special ‘thank you’ to Professor Martin Rinard and his assistant Mary McDavitt for their help getting us together with the students.

Enjoy both interviews!

IBM’s Mark Guan: So, Andy, what’s the plan for next year?

Andy: The plan for next year… I’m coaching.

Mark: You’re coaching!

Andy: Well, it depends on your point of view. I’m no t really eligible for this actual contest.

Mark: Good for you. So who will be on the team?

Andy: We don’t really know yet, the final competition will determine that – it was held yesterday.

Mark: So where will the Regionals be held?

Andy: Oh the regional’s, it’s actually the preliminaries first, they’re in-town, it’s very close – I don’t remember exactly where the preliminaries are, I think it’s in Rochester again.

Bohua: So you’re gonna fly there, right?

Mark: Moving from contestant to coach, what do you have to do to qualify – do you have to qualify for a coach?

Andy: No, I sort of got drafted actually. It’s a self-perpetuated group of people so I was just drafted to replace one of the coaches who graduated.

Mark: That’s great… So you getting ready to go to Stockholm?

Andy: I hope so! I think we have a pretty good team to get there.

Mark: Yeah, I’ll see you there. So, recruiting… Fernando, are you gonna stay on the team?

Fernando: Well I would try to stay on the team this year. I think this year there are more people at MIT that want to, the competition is tougher, there are more challenges.

Mark: Yeah, it’s more challenging. Any plans?

Bohua: I’m taking a year off.

Mark: Maybe next year. What year are you now?

Bohua: I’m a sophomore.

Mark: You’re a sophomore. So you still have another couple years to go for. Fernando, what year are you?

Fernando:I’m a senior.

Mark: You’re a senior, so you’re graduating next year. Wow! But Andy… already graduated? Or…

Andy: I’m a grad student. I used up my last year of eligibility.

Mark: What’s your plan – to do some doctorial degrees?

Andy: Yeah, my plan is to get a PHD and move onto other things.

Mark: That’s nice. In computer science?

Andy: No, physics.

Mark: Physics! What are your majors?

Fernando:I’m a double major in computer science and math.

Mark: Computer science… AND math

Bohua: Math and physics.

Mark: So, wow, you’re the only one who does computer science, Fernando.

Fernando:Yeah I’m the only one who has computer science in their major.

Mark: That’s cool – If you move from a master’s degree to doctoral degree, do you guys have any plans – can you think of anything after graduation that you want to do?

Bohua: I think I’m gonna get a PhD in math after I graduate.

Mark: And then, probably you’ll be a teacher or something in the future?

Bohua: It’s possible.

Mark: That’s pretty ambitious, pretty nice. Andy, what do you plan after your doctorate degree?

Andy: That’s a good question, I don’t know yet. Maybe industry, maybe staying on academia, maybe starting a company.

Mark: Sure, starting a company, that’s pretty nice.

Andy: Oh, yeah.

Mark: So I will see you and you in Stockholm.

Fernando: Hopefully you will see me.

Andy: You will definitely see me.

Photo: From left to right Professor Rinard, Bohua Zhan, Andy Lutomirski and Fernando Xuancheng Shao.

IBM’s Doug Heintzman Gets Us Started Off Right

battleofthebrains — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 21:40:00 +0000

As promised, Doug Heintzman, director of strategy, IBM Software Group and IBM’s Sponsorship Executive, spent some time with one of our podcast hosts, Mark Guan, to help get this 33rd year of the competition started.

Doug covered many topics including what teams he expects to reach the finals, what the contest brings to student, what makes the Battle of the Brains unique, and why IBM spends so much time working with students.

Good luck to those students participating in the first 2008 ACM-ICPC Regionals contest tomorrow in the South Pacific.

As a side note, as we build out this Battle of the Brains page, we hope to include more photos and stories to complement the audio podcasts we jump started last year. If you have photos or stories about your team, please send them us.

IBM and ICPC Announce Start with South Pacific Regional Looming

battleofthebrains — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 18:59:34 +0000

For an early look at the IBM/ACM-ICPC press release jumpstarting the 33rd Annual Battle of the Brains competition, check it out here.

Stayed tuned for the kick-off to this season’s podcast series. We have an exclusive interview coming with Doug Heintzman, director of strategy, IBM Software Group and sponsorship executive. For those of you who are new to the contest, Doug’s been a very big advocate for IBM’s role in the competition every year and takes a very significant role to work with ACM-ICPC to help it grow.

2008 ACM-ICPC Regionals About to Kick Off

battleofthebrains — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 17:42:44 +0000

Welcome back! After a long summer, the 2008 ACM-ICPC Regionals are just about ready to kick-off on Saturday, September 13 in the South Pacific. Both the ICPC and IBM are in the process of updating their web site and hope students and professor alike will come and visit to get the latest on this competition.

With this Battle of the Brains page, we hope to include more photos and stories to complement the audio podcasts we jump started last year.

We expect to kick off the 2008-2009 podcast series in the middle of September with an interview with Doug Heintzman, IBM’s Sponsorship Executive. As many of you know, he’s been a big part of this contest for a number of years and has been a passionate advocate.

For those looking for some practice questions, look no further than past brain busters archived on the ICPC web site: